Recovery/backup how to?

TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
edited February 2007 in Hardware
Hey, i just got this lap top for christmas and when i turned it on it started up asking if i want to create a back up for a recovery on drive D instead of C (recovery drive)

but being all excited about it, i just wanted to use the computer and i pressed cancel

but now i would like to back it up so i could have a safe recover if ever needed

but i dont know the first thing about it, or where to start

can anyone help me out?:smiles:
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Comments

  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited January 2007
    Hey, i just got this lap top for christmas and when i turned it on it started up asking if i want to create a back up for a recovery on drive D instead of C (recovery drive)
    but being all excited about it, i just wanted to use the computer and i pressed cancel
    but now i would like to back it up so i could have a safe recover if ever needed
    but i dont know the first thing about it, or where to start
    can anyone help me out?:smiles:
    Hey Trumand', I don't blame you for bein' all excited and wanting to play w/ your new toy. You can get back at the recovery disc set creation wizard. How to do this depends upon the software the manufacturer uses for this task.

    You can look through your Start Menu for a shortcut to the wizard that will start the disc creation process.

    Which computer and model is it? We can look it up for you if you can't find it in the Start Menu.
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited January 2007
    thanks for the reply, um it is a Hp pavilion dv9000 notebook...........

    and do i create a backup disc or create a back up file for the recovery drive?
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited January 2007
    ...thanks for the reply, um it is a Hp pavilion dv9000 notebook....and do i create a backup disc or create a back up file for the recovery drive?
    Do you mean "recovery disc" versus HDD image? If you have imaging software (e.g. Acronis True Image), that's the best way to go. First, image the HDD as it is now and get the image off loaded onto an external HDD or burned to DVD(s) for safe keeping. Then, get the system configured the way you want it. After you've done that, image the HDD again. As time goes by and you make chages to your system, create new images of your HDD. This is a much better way to go because the "recovery" discs will only get the system back to the state it was in when you purchased it. Any changes mades since then you'll have to do all over again. With imaging, you get your own build, not the manufacturer's.
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited January 2007
    no, i dont know............. i dont have any software like that......

    my lap top didnt come with an xp cd, and when i turned it on it said i can back it up and make a recovery drive........

    when i go to my computer there is 2 hardrives (i think it might just be one with a partition) but one is only like 11gb the only thing in it is a recovery folder

    EDIT: when i got into the D drive there is one folder called Recovery with a lock as the icon

    when i click the folder it opens up with nothing in it but the big "hp logo" and it says "this folder contains important file for backing up your computer. any change to this partition could prevent any recovery later"

    but there are no files, even though i have all hidden files an folders turned on.
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited January 2007
    no, i dont know............. i dont have any software like that...my lap top didnt come with an xp cd, and when i turned it on it said i can back it up and make a recovery drive...when i go to my computer there is 2 hardrives (i think it might just be one with a partition) but one is only like 11gb the only thing in it is a recovery folder
    EDIT: when i got into the D drive there is one folder called Recovery with a lock as the icon...when i click the folder it opens up with nothing in it but the big "hp logo" and it says "this folder contains important file for backing up your computer. any change to this partition could prevent any recovery later"
    but there are no files, even though i have all hidden files an folders turned on.
    Oh. I see what you're talking about. Yes, the partition (D) is a partition on your hard disk drive. It is a recovery partition that your HP software uses to recover your HDD build. The bad part about this is it is on the HDD. If the HDD goes, so does the recovery partition.

    Were you not able to find a shortcut in your Start Menu for running the recovery discs creation utility?
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited January 2007
    Which one of THESE is your laptop?
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited January 2007
    ummm i dont know lol all i know is thats its a hp pavilion dv9000 (its a 17" if that helps, probably not)


    umm yea well i think i figured out how to back it up, but the D drive (partition) says its only 11.5 gb and the back up is 41gb because that how much i have used............

    i dont think it is going to work is it?
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited January 2007
    ummm i dont know lol all i know is thats its a hp pavilion dv9000 (its a 17" if that helps, probably not)
    umm yea well i think i figured out how to back it up, but the D drive (partition) says its only 11.5 gb and the back up is 41gb because that how much i have used....i dont think it is going to work is it?
    Look on the bottom of the laptop. You'll find some stickers there. I think you'll find it there....
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited January 2007
    ummm i dont know lol all i know is thats its a hp pavilion dv9000 (its a 17" if that helps, probably not)
    umm yea well i think i figured out how to back it up, but the D drive (partition) says its only 11.5 gb and the back up is 41gb because that how much i have used....i dont think it is going to work is it?
    Backup and Recovery media set are two different animals. The Recovery utility should burn to DVDs - not the HDD.

    What's the name of the utility you are looking at for "backing up"? You may not have found the recovery disc set creation utility yet...
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited January 2007
    yea that didnt work, not enough space obviously

    i dont know, i right clicked my C drive and went to properies , tools, backup, "all info on this computer"

    lol ok i have an hp pavilion dv9008nr entertainment pc............ is that what you needed?
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited January 2007
    yea that didnt work, not enough space obviously i dont know, i right clicked my C drive and went to properies , tools, backup, "all info on this computer"...lol ok i have an hp pavilion dv9008nr entertainment pc...is that what you needed?
    Yes. Ok, HERE's the support page for your laptop.
    The Backup and Recovery section HERE covers creating recovery discs. (You'll need a PDF file reader for this link. (e.g. Adobe Acrobat Reader)) :smiles:
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited January 2007
    o, thanks so much

    this explains a lot to me :smiles: ill just create a set of back up cds


    one thing i dont get, what is the partition for then? because if its for documents isnt that pointless? because like you had said, if the hard-drive goes so does th partition
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited January 2007
    wow, i feel like really really stupid right now

    earlier when trying to back things up (the wronge way) it said the drive D was fat32 and that it would only allow 4gb and to change it........ so i formated the partition to ntfs

    now when i go to make a set of recovery discs it says that the recovery partition could not be found............


    ooops:shakehead
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited January 2007
    o, thanks so much
    this explains a lot to me :smiles: ill just create a set of back up cds
    one thing i dont get, what is the partition for then? because if its for documents isnt that pointless? because like you had said, if the hard-drive goes so does th partition
    The partition is for the HP recovery utility to use. You can run a recovery initiated from w/in windows, I believe. In that case, the utility uses the data stored on that backup partition. I believe you could use the recovery disc set for a new HDD. It depends on that particular manufacturers recovery method. I've seem some vendors who force you to order from them the recovery CDs for restoring to a replacement HDD. In those cases, the recovery utility (or the recovery CD(s) provided w/ the computer) uses the files on the backup partition only. Again, this is a bad thing in the event the HDD itself fails. A good way to tell if that's the case w/ your computer is if it only requires one or two CDs as opposed to multiple DVDs. Check the documentation re: restoring to a new HDD. It'll be mentioned there I'm sure.
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited January 2007
    wow, i feel like really really stupid right now

    earlier when trying to back things up (the wronge way) it said the drive D was fat32 and that it would only allow 4gb and to change it........ so i formated the partition to ntfs

    now when i go to make a set of recovery discs it says that the recovery partition could not be found............

    :shakehead
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited January 2007
    wow, i feel like really really stupid right now
    earlier when trying to back things up (the wronge way) it said the drive D was fat32 and that it would only allow 4gb and to change it........ so i formated the partition to ntfs
    now when i go to make a set of recovery discs it says that the recovery partition could not be found............
    :shakehead
    Uh oh! You just killed your recovery partition (as far as the recovery software is concerned.) You'll need to get a HDD imaging utility now (e.g. Acronis True Image) and backup your HDD that way. That's a much better way to go anyway.

    PS://
    I don't think you actually formatted the partition. Rather, I think you converted it from FAT32 to NTFS. (That's a one way street, BTW, unless you have special software.) If you look, you'll see the files are still there. Still, the recovery utility doesn't know what to do w/ NTFS. That's why it doesn't work.
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited January 2007
    o so you mean im not screwed, yessssss :smiles: lol

    so those are programs i can get? how much would they cost?

    and the software will just backup my whole hardrive

    because i have a 250gb external hardrive that is pretty much untouched that im sure i could store stuff on (like backups) if needed


    Well i right clicked and click format to NTFS, it took about 15 min, and now when i click on the d drive, there is no more recovery folder, D is just blank
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited January 2007
    o so you mean im not screwed, yessssss :smiles: lol
    so those are programs i can get? how much would they cost?
    and the software will just backup my whole hardrive
    because i have a 250gb external hardrive that is pretty much untouched that im sure i could store stuff on (like backups) if needed
    Well i right clicked and click format to NTFS, it took about 15 min, and now when i click on the d drive, there is no more recovery folder, D is just blank
    HERE is a link to Acronis True Image. I don't recommend Ghost at all. This utility beats the pants off of Ghost.

    You can image directly to your external HDD. I recommend you split the image into 4.25GB file sizes then burn the set to DVDs. You should format your external HDD to NTFS to support the larger file sizes, too.

    Acronis Disk Director is a very good disc management utility. You could use windows disc management for this, too though. (Your options are severely limited using windows disc management utility and it's very slow.)

    EDIT://
    And, yes, if the files are gone from the D partition then you did, indeed, format it (as opposed to convert the file system from FAT32 to NTFS)
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited January 2007
    alright thanks a lot

    can i buy this from a store like best buy or circuit city, or do i order it online....

    well i got my external already formated as an NFTS, so that means when i get that program i can just run it and it will pretty much be self explainatory?

    it will do a full copy of the drive so the file would end up being about 41 gb (that how much is used on mine) right? and spliting them into 4.25 gb sizes is that easy, or no?

    can i back up JUST THE OS or do i have to back up everything, all 40gb?
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited January 2007
    well im gonna probably go look for the program 2morrow. as for now i gotta get some sleep, for work 2morrow

    thanks, so much......... you are a big help :clap::cool:
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited January 2007
    ...alright thanks a lot...
    You're certainly welcome
    ...can i buy this from a store like best buy or circuit city, or do i order it online....
    It depends on what the stores in your area carry. You might want to call them 1st - save yourself a trip.
    ...well i got my external already formated as an NFTS,...
    Ahhh. Good. They usually come formatted FAT32.
    ...so that means when i get that program i can just run it and it will pretty much be self explainatory?...
    That depends upon your level of experience w/ disc management and/or HDD imaging. Don't worry about it. If you have questions and the docs don't help, just post back here. We'll step you through it.
    ...it will do a full copy of the drive so the file would end up being about 41 gb (that how much is used on mine) right? and spliting them into 4.25 gb sizes is that easy, or no?...
    Actually, the cumulative file sizes will be less than that of your HDD contents. Part of the imaging process is choosing the compression level. The more compression, the smaller the files sizes (but the longer the imaging process will take as well). Something you should ALWAYS do after creating a HDD image is to VALIDATE the image once it's done (you want to make sure it is a viable image.) You can choose this option when setting up the image.
    ...can i back up JUST THE OS or do i have to back up everything, all 40gb?
    W/ Acronis True Image, you can pick directories to backup. This is actually "backing up" as opposed to HDD "imaging". Backing up is very important to do IN BETWEEN images. But you should also have a relatively recent complete HDD image as well.
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited January 2007
    ok well i went out and i baught it, and i like it a lot:Rocker:

    i clicked backup and i backup everything all 41gb to my external HDD

    i also created a "bootable rescue media disc" but im not sure what that is.
    upon creating the disc it had two things, safe version and full version

    full version was 41gb (so it must have been like everything on my computer)
    but i unchecked that and did safe version only and it was only 16mb? so i dont know what this disc is gonna do...........

    also you said i can just back up the OS with this, because i dont want to try and put 41gb on discs, lol just the os would be good too........

    but i just found out today that my lap top came with windows vista free....... so it dont matter that much, man i cant wait lol :Rocker:
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited January 2007
    ...ok well i went out and i baught it, and i like it a lot:Rocker:
    Terrific!
    ...i clicked backup and i backup everything all 41gb to my external HDD...
    Did you split the image into 4.25GB file sizes? (If you choose 4.7GB, a quirk w/ Acronis TI is it will create files too large to fit onto DVDs. Through experimentation I've come up w/ the 4.25GB split image file size.)
    This is so that you can burn your image to DVDs
    I highly recommend you do this as your external HDD can fail as well.
    The safest place to have your HDD image is on DVDs
    Just burn each 4.25GB sized file to a DVD. Label the DVDs w/ the date you created the image and the number the file is in the split. The file split number will be appended to the end of your image file name.) For instance, this is how I label my images: B1-20070122A.tib "B1"=the computer name (Bench-1). 20070122=the date I created the image. "A"=the 1st image I created that day. When I split this image, Acronis will name the split files B1-20070122A1.tib, B1-20070122A2.tib, etc. For safe keeping, you burn each one of these files to a DVD. Keep these image files on DVD along w/ your Acronis True Image boot CD and you have your system recovery set. Viola!

    Also, make sure that you always "Validate" the image after you have created it. You want to make sure the image is viable b4 putting it away for Safe keeping. Finding out the image is corrupted when you're trying to restore your system from a crash, etc., is not something you want to go through.
    ...i also created a "bootable rescue media disc" but im not sure what that is...
    That enables you to run Acronis True Image from bootable CD
    If your HDD fails, you'll need this CD in order to restore the image.
    ...upon creating the disc it had two things, safe version and full version...full version was 41gb (so it must have been like everything on my computer)...but i unchecked that and did safe version only and it was only 16mb? so i dont know what this disc is gonna do...
    The full version gives you some functionality re: input devices, networking, etc. that the Safe version doesn't. Some computers won't get along well w/ the full version and you'll have to run ATI using the Safe version. (I have this problem on one of my systems) Keep the Full version CD as it will give you the safe version option as well. Make sure you test it by placing it in your DVD drive and rebooting your computer. Make sure it boots to the DVD ok and that Acronis True Image user interface comes up. Try selecting Full version to get into Acronis True Image off of the CD. If that doesn't work, you'll have to use the Safe version. That's ok, though. You'll still be able to create & restore images w/ the CD fine.
    ...also you said i can just back up the OS with this, because i dont want to try and put 41gb on discs, lol just the os would be good too........
    I think you misunderstood me (or I misunderstood you). You can backup data files and folders you choose if you like. Backing up your OS &/or program files directories will do you no good. For backing up your system build, you need to create the HDD image. (Remember imaging and data back up are two different animals)
    ...but i just found out today that my lap top came with windows vista free....... so it dont matter that much, man i cant wait lol :Rocker:
    I strongly recommend that you create a fresh image of your HDD before you upgrade your OS to Vista (or b4 anytime you intend to make significant changes to your HDD build.) Upgrading your OS to a new version or different OS is a significant change. Anything could happen. Imaging your HDD before-hand gives you a safe place to go back to if the upgrade goes wrong.
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited January 2007
    o this eplains a lot,

    well i didnt end up creating a full version of the disc, i only made it a safe version.


    i didnt split the images i only have one blank dvd left, and a bunch f cds but that could take way to many cds, so it looks like im gonna have to go buy some and do it..

    but will the program actually burn it, or does it have to save each 4 gb file and then i burn it. my question is, can i take the 41gb file and split that or do i have to do it all over?
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited January 2007
    The HP machines come with a utility that actually burns a full set of recovery discs that allow you to restore to the original OS factory configuration in the event of a complete HDD failure. I have in the past cancelled out of the original request and gone back to it later. I believe it is called the "HP Recovery Utility" and can be accessed from the Start menu somewhere. I will reference my wife's PC to confirm exactly what it was called if you need help finding the option.
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited January 2007
    GHoosdum wrote:
    The HP machines come with a utility that actually burns a full set of recovery discs that allow you to restore to the original OS factory configuration in the event of a complete HDD failure. I have in the past cancelled out of the original request and gone back to it later. I believe it is called the "HP Recovery Utility" and can be accessed from the Start menu somewhere. I will reference my wife's PC to confirm exactly what it was called if you need help finding the option.


    yea, i wanted to use that, but i messed up and formated the partition that had the recovery info saved on it. so when i run that program it cannot find the recovery file, so it wont work for me.:shakehead

    but this program is good, works for me


    one thing i was wondering, when i get windows vista shipped to me and i install it, will i loose everything off this computer...........

    if so the HDD image i made, i can use that to get my files but not change the OS back to xp?
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited January 2007
    The HDD image that you made will probably completely restore to the state your PC was in at the point you created it, so XP will come back.

    When you install Vista (which I would not do if your PC is running well as is) it will likely be an upgrade installation, which should keep the rest of your installed programs and such.
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited January 2007
    o ok, well why wouldnt you install vista? is there something bad about it, or something i dont know about it?
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited January 2007
    o ok, well why wouldnt you install vista? is there something bad about it, or something i dont know about it?
    It's not that it's bad. It is the fact that changing your operating system - the very foundation of your entire HDD build - is a substantial change. Many things could go wrong in the process. You may also find issues you didn't expect once the process is completed. You might even decide you'd rather go back to the previous build. Bottom line, always work w/ a safety net. Never make changes that you have not created a way to recover from if you need to. If you keep that in mind, you'll find that recovering from unforeseen disasters is much much easier to cope with.
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited January 2007
    o this eplains a lot, well i didnt end up creating a full version of the disc, i only made it a safe version.
    i didnt split the images i only have one blank dvd left, and a bunch f cds but that could take way to many cds, so it looks like im gonna have to go buy some and do it..
    but will the program actually burn it, or does it have to save each 4 gb file and then i burn it. my question is, can i take the 41gb file and split that or do i have to do it all over?
    Unless your version of Acronis True Image differs from mine in this regard, SAFE & FULL have nothing to do w/ the type of image that is created. It has to do w/ the capabilities that ATI (Acronis True Image) has while in this mode (Safe or Full). In Full mode, you have more capabailities available to you (e.g. imaging across a network. see post # 24)

    Following is how to image your HDD using Acronis True Image Workstation version 9.1
    1. Open ATI (Acronis True Image Workstation)
    2. Click on BACKUP
    3. Click NEXT
    4. Choose THE ENTIRE DISK CONTENTS OR INDIVIDUAL PARTITION
    5. Click NEXT
    6. Click the box next to the partition marked B]PRI,ACT[/B
    7. Click NEXT
    8. Now, navigate through MY COMPUTER in the left pane to your external HDD drive and the location you would like the image to be copied to.
    9. Now, in the FILE NAME field at the bottom, append the path to this location w/ the name of the image you are about to create.
      (e.g. [F:\LT HDD Image\[name of file].tib] Where "F" is an arbitrary drive letter I chose to represent your external HDD.)
    10. Leave FILES OF TYPE: set to BACKUP ARCHIVES (*.TIB)
    11. Click NEXT
    12. Choose CREATE NEW FULL BACKUP ARCHIVE
    13. Click NEXT
    14. Choose SET THE OPTIONS MANUALLY
    15. Click NEXT
    16. Click on ARCHIVE SPLITTING
    17. Choose FIXED SIZE. PLEASE, SPECIFY THE SIZE:
    18. Type in 4.25 GB
    19. In the left column again, choose ADDITIONAL SETTINGS
    20. Put a check mark in the box labeled VALIDATE BACKUP ARCHIVE UPON ITS CREATION COMPLETION
    21. Click NEXT
    22. Enter any comments you have re: the image and/or HDD build as of this image here.
    23. Click NEXT
    24. Click PROCEED
    25. The entire partition or HDD that you selected will be imaged now.
    26. The image will be split into ~ 4.25 GB file sizes.
    27. After ATI has finished creating the image, it will then VALIDATE the image to ensure that it is viable.
    28. Once it is all done, then you should burn each one of the resulting *.tib files to DVDs.
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